10 Tips to Look Smart during Meetings
by Warren Fowler, marketing enthusiast and blogger at Edugeeksclub
Do you want to look smart during meetings and impress the heck out of your boss and coworkers?
What’s success?
Naturally, we don’t relate that concept exclusively to money. Success is also about family, friends, and life in general. Your job is part of the whole thing, too. Success is all about living a fulfilled life and being happy about the choices you make.
So yes; trying to make progress in the corporate world is also about success and mindfulness. And that aspect of your life depends on the personal image you create. You may be the smartest person in the room, but no one will notice if you don’t convey that intelligence through your actions.
You’ve probably seen that popular article from The Cooper Review, named 10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings. If you haven’t now is your chance. It’s a hilarious satire that ridicules those who try too hard. You don’t want to do that. Still, we have to accept the fact that the impressions we make are important for career progress, so how to look smart during meetings is definitely a major factor.
How do you do that, anyway? How do you behave during meetings, so you’ll appear just as smart as you are?
We’ll give you 10 tips on that.
Do Not Lecture People
Do you know those people who are trying too hard to appear smart? Yeah; they actually achieve the counter-effect. They constantly try to translate slang into words “everyone can understand,” and they use that opportunity to take the role of lecturers.
Do not do that! Remember: when you’re in the same meeting room with everyone else, you’re on the same level as them. Maybe you’re smarter than them. That’s okay. Don’t try to prove it!
Prepare Great Presentations
When you’re expected to give a presentation during a meeting, it’s your test of awesomeness. What would most people do in such a situation? They would give a presentation full of diagrams, they would use all kinds of big words (which they just discovered in a thesaurus), and they would act as if they knew more than they actually know.
What does a really smart person do during a presentation? Mark Ion, team leader at UK Best Essays, has the answer: “They engage the audience! They speak to their level and take a storytelling approach. They use words that everyone can understand to present genuine ideas that are ambitious, but not impossible to achieve.”
Dress Smart
And no; we don’t mean this as an exaggeration. In most cases, the modern workspace is flexible in terms of dress code. So if you show up in a suit and a tie, you’ll look too stiff. You know; like you’re trying too hard! We don’t want that, but you still have to show your respect towards the job you’re doing, so proper clothes are part of the etiquette.
During meetings, when most of the staff is in a single room, people will certainly notice the way you’re dressed.
Choose good-quality clothes. They don’t have to be too expensive, but the fabric should be great and the items should fit very well. Don’t wear baggy clothes!
Opt for quality over quantity! We don’t see Mark Zuckerberg wearing a different style of outfit every day, do we?
Do Your Best to Cover the Tattoos
If you have prominent tattoos, do your best to cover them. Yes; they are a representation of your individuality, and you’d expect the modern workplace to be more flexible regarding personal style.
You’re right; the modern workplace should be and is more flexible about tattoos, but it’s still best not to draw too much attention towards yourself.
Wear Nice Glasses!
Only if you need them! We do not advise getting glasses just because they make you look smart. That’s an exaggeration, and we’re totally against that!
If you need glasses, however, you have to be careful with the choice of a frame. A neutral-colored plastic frame is always a safe choice. In fact, research showed that people with full-rim glasses are perceived as less attractive, but more intelligent.
If you’re ready to go bold with the frames, it’s okay as long as you wear them with great self-confidence.
Observe the “Vibe”
When you’re in a meeting, you have to sense the vibe of the room. If the manager is talking about a serious issue, it’s best not to come out with your full-on humorous attitude. If they are trying to trigger a discussion, you should absolutely communicate your ideas.
Smart people know how to evaluate a situation and understand what others expect from them.
Always Keep Learning
You won’t be learning with the intention to prove you’re smarter than everyone else during meetings. You’ll be learning with the intention to understand all discussions and become part of them.
Consistent learning is important not solely for professional development, but for your overall well being as well.
Be Honest
The corporate world is full of hypocrites. They will act as if they agree with all the decisions the boss makes. They are afraid to share ideas for progress since they nourish a conformist’s mindset. They are not smart and sure don’t look like it.
You don’t want to be a phony during meetings. Speak your mind, especially when you’re sharing ideas that everyone in the room will benefit from.
Understand Other People’s Point of View
Intelligence is not only about expressing what you know. It’s about looking beyond the narrowness of your own world and understanding what others are saying. Remember: no matter how smart you are, you are not the smartest person that ever existed. Even if you are, you still don’t know everything.
Other people have tons of things to teach you. Listen to them and understand their arguments before you contribute to the discussion.
Always Do Your Homework
If you want to look smart, you have to be smart. There’s no shortcut. You have to do your homework before each meeting, so you’ll go prepared.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll go there and act like a smart ass with all your knowledge. It just means that you’ll read the reports and do some extra research on the issues you’re going to discuss. That’s because you’ll go to the meeting with the intention to make valuable contributions to everyone’s advantage.
So what’s the main tip for looking smart? Don’t try to look smart! Just be yourself, with an extra dose of humility and knowledge.
Good Luck and we are here for you!
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Warren Fowler’s lifestyle is full of hiking adventures. When he’s not busy with his guitar or enjoying the sunny day outside, he excels at blogging skills and scrolls through social media. You can meet him on Twitter and Facebook.
